Rotary engine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 M. A. BUFORD.

ROTARY ENGINE. No. 401,816. Patented Apr. 28, 1889.

ATTORNEYS.

2 t e e h S S .TJ e e h S 3 D. E m 0 m "UE BY m A .0 MB

(No Model.)

No. 401,816. Patented ApnZS, 1889.

WITNESSES:

AUOR/VEYS.

{ Model.) 3 Shets-Shee-t 3. M. A. BUFORD.

ROTARY ENGINE. No. 401,816. Patented Apr. 23, 1889.

WITNESSES.- lNl/E/VTOH:

Afro/Mrs. 1

UNTTED STATES PATENT @rricn.

MARCELTJUS A. BUFORD, OF THOMPSONS STATION, TENNESSEE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,816, dated April 23, 1889.

Application filed August 14, 1888| $erial No 282,710. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARcELLUs A. B UFORD, of Thompsons Station, in the county of \Villiamson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Engine, of which the following is a full, clear and exact description.

The obj ect of the invention is to provide a new and improved rotary engine, which is simple and durable in construction, very effective in operation, and adapted to be operated by steam, air, water, or any other suitable fluid.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the improvement, showing the casing in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line at on of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the main driving-wheel on the line 3 y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of the wheel on the line .2 z of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a face view of the steam-receiving.

disk of the main wheel.

In a suitably constructed casing, A, is mounted to rotate centrally the driving-shaft 13,011 which is secured in the casing A a wheel, C, partly surrounded by the partition-walls D and D, secured in the casing A, and forming in the middle of the latter the live-steam chamber E and near the ends of the casing the eX- haust-chambers F and F, respectively. Into the live-steam chamber E leads the pipe G,for supplying steam to the chamber E. From the chambers F and F lead the exhaust-pipes H and H.

The main wheel C is provided in its middle with one or more disks, I I, each of which has a V-shaped groove in its periphery, from which lead at suitable intervals inlet-openings 1 extending through the \l-shaped spokes 1 to open into the space between two successive spokes. The number of inletopenings I corresponds with the number of spokes, so that the steam passes in through one opening in the rim of the wheel. and passes out through the opening between two successive spokes. On the outer faces of the disks I and I are secured the disks J and J, respectively mounted to rotate in the partitions D and D, respectively, each of the disks being provided in its rim with an inwardlyextending opening, J leading to the interior of the V-shaped spoke J", to open into the spaces formed between two successive spokes. Thus the spaces formed by the several spokes of the several disks I, I, J, and J are in communication with each other, so that the steam entering the openings 1" of the disks I and 1 passes out of the same to the right and left into the openings formed by the spokes of the disks J and J, through the hollow spokes J and into the outlet-openings J The latter are adapted to register alternately with the inner ends of spectively, and leading into the respective eX- 7 5 haust-chamber F or F.

In order to render the wheel 0 steam-tight, the disks J and J are provided 011 the inside wit-l1 annular flanges J fitting in corresponding grooves in the walls D and D, and cov- 8o ers J are secured to the outer ends of the disks J and J, fitting against the spokes J 3 and against parts of the wallsD and D, as plainly shown in Fig. 1.

The operation is as follows: Steam is ad- Initted through the steam-inlet pipe G into the live-steam chamber E, which is completely filled. The live steam from the chamber E passes continuously into all of the inlet-openings I of the disks I and I, thus exerting a 0 tangential pressure against the spokes, 'wh ereby the wheel C is turned in one direction. The steam, passing through the spokes, passes out at each side through the spaces between the successive spokes to enter the spaces 5 formed between the successive spokes in the disks J and J ,-respectively. The steam then passes through the l-shaped spokes of the disks J and J into the openings J formed in the peripheries of the said disks, and then the steam escapes through the channels D into the respective chambers F and F, as the said openings J in the disks J and J register alternately with the inner ends of the said channels D The exhaust-steam in the chambers F and F passes out through the pipes Hand H in the usual manner. Thus it will be seen that a continuous motion is imparted to the wheel 0 by the steam exerting a tangential pressure on the disks I and 1, whereby the main shaft B is rotated, and as the latter is connected by suitable means with the machinery to be driven the latter is also set in motion.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a rotary engine, the combinatiomwith a casing provided with a steam-inlet chamher and steam-exhaust chambers, of a main driving-shaft mounted to rotate in the said casing, and a wheel secured on thesaid shaft in the said casing and provided with central disks having inlet-openings in their peripheries, and exhaust-disks secured to the central disks and provided with outlet-openings discharging into the said exhaust-chambers, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a rotary engine, the combinatiomwith the casing A, provided with the walls D and D, forming the chambers F and F, of the main driving-shaft 13, mounted to rotate in the said casing, the wheel 0, secured on the said driving-shaft and provided with the disks I I, each having the spokes I and inlet-openings I in its periphery, said wheel being also provided with the exhaust-disks J and J, having spokes J and exhaust-disks J registering with channels formed in the walls D and D, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a rotary engine, a casing, partitionwalls formed in the said casing and provided with channels leading into the outer chambers formed by the said partition-walls, an inletpipe leading to the central chamber formed by the said partition-walls, and exhaust-pipes leading from the outlet-chambers formed by the said partition-walls, in combination with the main driving-shaft mounted to rotate centrally in the said casing, the disks I and I, secured on the said main driving-shaft be tween the said'partition-walls, each disk being provided with spokes and inlet-openings extending from the periphery through the said spokes, and exhaust-disks secured on the said main driving-shaft and abutting against the outer faces of the said disks 1 and I, said exhaust-disks being fitted in the said partition-walls D and Dand provided with spokes and exhaust-openings in the periphery, said openings registering alternately with the channels in the partition-Walls, substantially as shown and described.

MAROELLUS A. BUFORD. Witnesses:

JAMEs L. BUFORD, JOHN M. NEVILs. 

